Thursday, June 26, 2008

A FIRE IN QUIAPO


I was coming out of a barber shop in Quiapo yesterday when several firetrucks with sirens blaring raced by me on Quezon Boulevard. Intrigued, I looked up in the sky towards the direction where they were heading and realized the fire was nearby.

When I arrived at the scene, the firemen had basically contained the blaze. There was, however, a loud explosion which startled the people in the area. It was later reported that the blast was caused by an LPG gas container.

The fire hit a two-storey commercial and residential building located at the corner of 325 Barbosa and Arlegui Streets. It gutted several commercial establishments on the ground floor, including the Maguindanao Restaurant. This area is infamous for its number of stores that sell pirated DVDs and cellphone accessory products.

Dozens of firetrucks responded from various volunteer fire brigades of Metro Manila from as far away as Malabon. The actual cause of the fire and the resulting property damage remain undetermined at this point.



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posted by Señor Enrique at 8:30 AM


4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remembered the news about the fire in Cong. de Venecia's house where he lost his youngest daughter. They found that the firemen didnt have proper gear to withstand fire. I believe the congressman and his wife volunteered to buy firefighting clothes to the Makati fire dept. I wonder what the govt is doing about this :(

June 26, 2008 7:08 PM  

Blogger Señor Enrique said...

I doubt it very much, BW, if the government intends to equip our local firefighters with the appropriate gear comparable to those issued to New York City firemen.

With cash infusion from the de Venecias, I wonder, if the Makati Fire Department has upgraded its equipment for its firemen.

June 27, 2008 6:27 AM  

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing a snapshot and a video... The vivid images brought me to tears because the building that got burned down held so many memories. I have quite a number of relatives who lived in the building most of their lives, cousins, aunts, nephews, nieces and a sister. My sister and her family lost everything in that fire just few days before they were scheduled to move out. Apparently, the building was being sold to “Muslim businessmen”, thus, the renters were ordered to vacate the place. Some opted to move out, avoiding trouble. However, there were few who wanted to fight it out and decided to stay. Somehow, somewhere they learned that the transaction was bogus so they sought help from the Mayor. Needless to say, the BIG guy didn’t, couldn’t, or wouldn’t (not really sure now) do anything about it and the people were left to fend for themselves. Different threats had been delivered in hot plates. Little did they know that these “bad guys” really meant business… The June 30 ultimatum was set, but they couldn’t even wait for people to leave, they had to do the most horrendous, inhumane, animalistic, and unimaginable thing to ensure their “capital” is well spent.

To the victims, my prayers are with you. May you find peace in knowing that material things are replaceable and that God is still in control and did not let you in harms way. For the guilty ones, I hope that you prepare yourself for God’s wrath and judgment. For it is written, “ you reap what you sow”! to the author of this blog… Thanks for allowing me to comment on a personal note…

June 28, 2008 12:30 PM  

Blogger Señor Enrique said...

"To the victims, my prayers are with you. May you find peace in knowing that material things are replaceable and that God is still in control and did not let you in harms way. For the guilty ones, I hope that you prepare yourself for God’s wrath and judgment. For it is written, “ you reap what you sow”! to the author of this blog… Thanks for allowing me to comment on a personal note…"

I do share your sentiments, Anonymous.

Am also thankful that this short video clip served a significant purpose. Most importantly, thank you for sharing with us your insight and connection with this tragic incident.

June 29, 2008 6:29 AM  

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Life in Manila as observed by a former New Yorker who with a laptop and camera has reinvented himself as a storyteller. Winner of the PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS: Best Photo Blog in 2007 and three Best Single Post awards in 2008.

 
 

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